Zachariah Sippy is an opinion intern at the Forward. Follow him on Twitter @ZachariahSippy or send him an email: sippy@forward.com.
Zachariah Sippy
By Zachariah Sippy
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Opinion Fighting antisemitism, and mass incarceration: Talking with Udi Ofer of the ACLU
One of my last memories from the pre-pandemic era is of meeting Udi Ofer, the head of the ACLU’s Justice Division, in February 2020. Ofer and Rabbi Julie Roth, director of the Princeton Hillel, gathered roughly a dozen students for a series of events reconsidering the Passover exodus in light of contemporary mass incarceration. Of…
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Opinion ‘We simply feel forgotten about:’ 9 Asian American Jews speak
The United States is in the middle of a devastating spike in hate crimes against Asian-Americans, with nearly 3,800 incidents of hate reported to the organization Stop AAPI Hate in the last year. (AAPI refers to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.) Between broad under-reporting of hate crimes against Asian Americans and the lack of a…
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Opinion We asked 13 rabbis: How should we process 500,000 American COVID deaths?
This post is part of our Rabbi Roundtable series. This week, the United States recorded its 500,000th death from COVID-19. It’s a staggering number, one many of us have struggled to wrap our heads around. For thoughts on how to process the milestone we turned to rabbis across the country for their wisdom, both on…
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Opinion Dear President Biden: ‘Chase justice,’ and other messages from religious scholars
Prof. Marc Brettler started writing his letter to Joe Biden before he actually became president, optimistic for what the future held. But after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, Brettler said in an interview, he went back and edited the letter to emphasize “the urgency to call for justice.” “There was this sense that…
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Opinion ‘My Birthright trip was super radicalizing:’ A conversation with IfNotNow co-founder Max Berger
In the last decade, Max Berger has had his hands in some of the most prominent and disruptive left-wing campaigns, ranging from IfNotNow, Occupy Wall Street and Justice Democrats — a group that supports primary challengers to centrist Democrats — to Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign. Berger, 35, whose activism is rooted in his opposition…
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Opinion ‘No more violence:’ Jewish activists react to Trump’s last-minute execution spree
On the first night of Hanukkah, Terry Fear was protesting outside the federal death chamber in Terre Haute, Ind., during the execution of Brandon Bernard. The flickering candles of her hanukkiah provided light for her vigil. Last year, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of Justice (DOJ) killed 10 people, ending the federal…
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Opinion ‘Nothing like this has ever happened before:’ Historians reflect on mob violence in Washington
“It’s really tough for historians to assert a negative,” Eric Rauchway said. But, he added, there was “absolutely no precedent” for Wednesday’s armed insurrection by supporters of President Trump at the U.S. Capitol. Rauchway, a 20th century American political historian at the University of California at Davis, was one of five historians I spoke with…
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Opinion 15 American-Jewish Leaders on how to bridge the divide between Israel and the Diaspora
Last Tuesday, the Israeli Knesset held a special hearing of the Knesset Education Committee for what it designated as “Diaspora Day,” an event to “bring the voices and experiences of world Jewry into the halls of the Knesset and Israeli society.” It got us thinking: What do we wish Israelis interested in bridging the divide…
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